Page 16 of Insurrection
"No." My voice was hard and cold. "I let it go with the House of Runes, Otto, but this isn't our plan. I am not going to start seducing members of the other houses to secure our position. Heirs won't be making the decisions in the first place—their parents will be—and I... I don't use my Succubus powers."
"Which is exactly why the House of Sin will never be on your side if they see you neglecting that part of yourself," Otto sneered. "Why wouldn't you use all of your resources to secure a vote? Drayven would."
I felt my temper spike, “Because my 'resources' are something that I am constantly berated for in my own damn home. Why would I use them to benefit people who hate me for them? If we get the House of Sin vote, it will be because we managed to secure something through other means. That's final. Do you understand me?"
I didn't use that tone of voice often, but the command had Otto’s eyes widening as he looked back at the book. Drayven held my gaze, regarding me with something I didn't understand before Otto continued.
"Wraiths have the unique ability to control and use shadow magic. It is one of the reasons they have some of the best spies this realm has ever seen. Be sure to watch what you talk about at the Summit because there’s a good chance of them putting someone on you all to listen for possible intel. You won't be able to sense them well if they are in their shadows.”
I found myself jealous of their ability to hide themselves in their shadows. What I wouldn’t give to be able to vanish from this reality sometimes.
* * *
"He's just such an ass,"I growled, crossing my arms against my chest as we made our way down the city block towards our spot for dinner. I really should have brought a jacket, considering the chilly weather. Luckily, the massive gothic stone and glass buildings blocked the majority of the wind gusting from the mountains up north. Mortem, our territory, wasn't particularly warm, but I was able to get away with wearing a silk cocktail dress to dinner.
The dress was structured on the bodice, the heart-shaped neckline showing off my cleavage and the tight fit highlighting my smaller waist. I felt good, and even Zurie had dressed up more than usual. Her dress was a loose-fit, more ethereal style, the black and white styling highlighting the lavender in her hair.
Normally, I wasn't one for going into town—mostly because of the looks I received—but Zurie knew I loved the food at this place and had managed to convince me to get dressed up, saying it would make me feel better. Honestly, she wasn't wrong. I felt far better than I had with Drayven and Otto. It helped that I was on a small tangent about the past twenty-four hours.
"I still think it's because Drayven likes you," Zurie offered with a disapproving shake of her head. "Which makes it ten times worse."
"He doesn't like me." I shook my head, pretending her words didn't send a thrill over my skin.
"Bullshit," Zurie paused to lean down and adjust her strappy stiletto. "You know how I feel about the 'boys are mean to the girls they like' saying—"
"It is a social conditioning technique to make women accept lower standards from the men around them," I recited. I didn't disagree with her. Which was why, when I’d told Zurie about Finias, she had instantly said she liked the man. I knew my friend wouldn't admit it, but she was a romantic at heart, and her happiness for me had been authentic when I’d told her about Finias standing up for me.
"With that being said, I think that is exactly the case here. I see how he watches you. I mean, everyone sees how he watches you, Ama," she shook her head, "which in my mind makes his attitude that much worse. At least I can take solace in the fact that he for sure knows what he lost from the way he’s acting about another guy having interest in you."
I squeezed my arm around her waist and smiled. Once again, I was struck with thankfulness that I had someone like Zurie in my life. No, not someonelikeZurie—Zurie specifically. She was my best friend. The closest thing I had to a sister.
"Here we are!" I offered a bright smile, not wanting to think about Drayven anymore. The only thing the man liked about me was making me miserable.
As we stepped into the small, expensive, and extremely popular restaurant, I was instantly greeted by the scent of delicious food and the sound of voices murmuring against a background of relaxing music. The entire space was dimly lit, allowing people privacy in the shadows of the establishment.
"Hi there," Zurie began to talk with the woman at the hostess booth. I was hoping no one would recognize me while we were out, but I had a feeling that was unlikely. As it was, the hostess Zurie was talking to was staring at me with excitement. When she led us towards a table, I nearly groaned at the words that left her mouth.
"Are you Princess Amare?" she asked, her eyes curious. I suppose it was better than disgust.
"Yes," I offered a polite smile.
"This is so cool." The girl seemed nice. Still, Zurie leaned forward slightly and offered her a nice smile that was in stark contrast to her warning tone.
"We would like to be able to enjoy our night in peace, so if you could not bring attention to us until after we leave, we would really appreciate it," Zurie explained. I breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, of course." She nodded, then smiled as a young man approached the table, looking wide-eyed at both Zurie and me. Somehow, I had a feeling Zurie’s words weren’t going to matter to any of these people.
After the waiter took our drink orders, I kept my back towards the restaurant, not wanting to see if people were looking at or talking about us. I was really hoping not. When our drinks arrived, my cocktail was bright red with an orange slice on the rim. I drank some of it as Zurie told me about her training session that day.
Zurie, despite her delicate-looking nature, was actually an incredibly fierce fighter. She had been training with one of our territory's special operations teams for some time now and would be testing into an official team in a few months. I found the process fascinating, but I did not envy the workout aspect.
"I am going to use the bathroom really quick." I hopped up after we put in our food order and tried to ignore the eyes I felt on me. I nearly sneered when I saw a group of three guys sitting at the bar, all of them staring at me. No—leering at me.
Wasn't that the funny thing about these people? I wasn't good enough to be considered someone they would want to spend time with, but to leer at? To imagine fucking? Sure! Why not?Assholes.
I was frustrated and distracted enough that I was genuinely caught off guard when I slammed into a firm, bulky chest. Although, considering how much larger than me this man was...it was more like the bottom of his chest, despite the added height from my heels. I pulled back, saw his drink had completely soaked his nice shirt upon impact, and moved to apologize. A pair of white, almost pearl-colored eyes stared down at me with a level of anger I hadn't expected.
Crap. Could this day get any worse?
